# Where did "Grown-Ass Man" come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2009, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135 "2009-10-17T11:50:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/1 "2009-10-17T11:50:50Z")
And yeah, I know, from his Grown-Ass Mother’s womb, har-de-har. Now that that’s out of the way, on Thursday’s Survivor, one man, Russell S., a dread-headed black male, called another man a grown-ass man. The first time I ever heard this phrase was also on Survivor, when Rory (or “Royry”🆒), another black male, angrily declared himself to be a grown-ass man back in 2004. I’ve been hearing this phrase off and on since then, although it’s been more frequent lately. So I was wondering how long this phrase has been around. Did Rory coin it himself, or was it popular and well beneath my radar before then? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/2 "2009-10-17T12:04:45Z")
> [@singular1](#): > > And yeah, I know, from his Grown-Ass Mother’s womb, har-de-har. > Now that that’s out of the way, on Thursday’s Survivor, one man, Russell S., a dread-headed black male, called another man a grown-ass man. The first time I ever heard this phrase was also on Survivor, when Rory (or “Royry”🆒), another black male, angrily declared himself to be a grown-ass man back in 2004. I’ve been hearing this phrase off and on since then, although it’s been more frequent lately. So I was wondering how long this phrase has been around. Did Rory coin it himself, or was it popular and well beneath my radar before then? In slang speech, -ass has been used as an adjective intensifier for quite some time. Big-ass, expensive-ass, heavy-ass, bad-ass, etc. I personally wonder if it evolved from “dumb-ass” or whether it’s the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2009, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/3 "2009-10-17T12:13:07Z")
I firs heard it when Cedric the Entertainer used it in [_The Original Kings of Comedy_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Original_Kings_of_Comedy). Description of Cedric’s bit in the movie from Wikipedia. > [@](#): > > Cedric the Entertainer, who presents himself as the most in-tune with the younger demographic, goes through a number of topics during his routine. Primary among these is his embellishment of the differences between the “hope factor” and the “wish factor”: white people “hope” that nothing goes wrong, and black people wish someone would start trouble so that they can retaliate. Cedric’s acknowledges that he is now a “ **grown-ass man** ”, and can no longer call his friends by their “lil’ nicknames” or engage in other such immature behavior. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/4 "2009-10-18T16:50:01Z")
The -ass intensifier is especially prevalent in Black slang. Cedric the entertainer also had a book titled Grown Ass Man. Chris Rock had a routine on the Cheese and Crackers album called generic food where he altered a can of BEANS into BIG ASS BEANS which then became a name brand that his mother wouldn’t buy. Plus The restaurant in CB4 is called BIg Ass Biscuits. The -ass construction _adjective_-ass _noun_ is most encountered when cussing someone out. -ho-ass bitch -bitch-ass motherfucker -pussy-ass nigga(There’s actually a 2 Live Crew song by this name) Other popular constructions: -fine-ass babe(or bitch depending on the speaker) -big-ass titties -stupid-ass motherfucker -triflin’-ass hoes -broke-ass motherfucker ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/5 "2009-10-18T19:16:46Z")
Props to **enomaj** for an etymologically sound explanation. My dad has been saying “grown-ass,” “broke-ass,” etc. all my life. I think “broke-ass” is probably the most common usage. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/6 "2009-10-18T21:54:51Z")
[Obligatory XKCD link](http://xkcd.com/37/) ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/7 "2009-10-18T23:01:50Z")
The first time I heard it was when David Letterman went through a phase of giving away “big-ass hams” on his show. This post is of no help whatsoever as I can’t remember when that was, and I’m sure Letterman did not event the term. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/8 "2009-10-20T19:07:28Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > Props to **enomaj** for an etymologically sound explanation. My dad has been saying “grown-ass,” “broke-ass,” etc. all my life. > > I think “broke-ass” is probably the most common usage. Count me as another who’s heard the ‘adjective-ass’ combo from older family members as far back as he can remember. “I’m not playing with your sorry ass” comes painfully to mind. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/9 "2009-10-27T22:25:00Z")
I forgot about rabbit-ass mind, a glaring omission. Used in the phrase “You are out of your rabbit-ass mind.” I’ve never rabbit-ass used anyother way or with any other word ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/10 "2009-10-27T22:50:54Z")
I’ve heard [adj]-ass [noun] a lot but specifically first heard “grown ass-man” in Kanye West’s Through the Wire. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/11 "2009-10-29T21:27:47Z")
Obligatory Big Ass Fans link. > **[Home](https://bigassfans.com/)** > > Big Ass Fans can create comfortable conditions anywhere. Shop industrial fans, directional fans, infrared heaters and evaporative coolers. Fans. Stuff with the Big Ass Fans logo on it. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/12 "2009-10-30T01:24:01Z")
Men who claim to be grown-ass men=invariably acting like little-ass boys. At best. ---
**Author:** ![raindrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/74df32/32.png) [@raindrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindrop)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-grown-ass-man-come-from/514135/13 "2009-10-30T06:06:48Z")
When it’s said about another man (perhaps the way Russell on Survivor used it) it usually means the other man is acting in some immature way that it not acceptable for a normal adult man. Saying “grown-ass man” is a way to express frustration that the immature man is _supposed_ to be a mature adult, but is not. When it’s said in a declaration about oneself, it could be an expression of frustration that someone _else_ doesn’t recognize one’s own inherent adulthood, and is treating the declaring/complaining man with less respect than he feels any adult man deserves. Example: “Dammit, I’m a grown-ass man, and that means I don’t need anyone telling me what I’m allowed to eat!” Of course it could also be something declared about himself by someone who is the exact opposite, but that’s not necessarily the only explanation for it. I’ve also heard it used forever, in Black culture. I’ve also often heard “grown-ass woman” used in all the same ways as “grown-ass man.”